Valverde: Granada red card was referee's decision

The Spaniard defended his player's behaviour amidst the team's contentious come-from-behind victory which ensured they would keep the pressure up in the race for fourth place

Valencia coach Ernesto Valverde is adamant his men deserved their 2-1 win over Granada on Saturday, despite going behind to the hosts who were reduced to ten men before the interval.

Mikel Rico received his marching orders to hand the Mestalla outfit a numerical advantage, but it was the Primera Division minnows who instead opened the scoring.

Granada were eventually undone by the work of Pablo Piatti however, as the Argentine set up a goal and scored the winner to hand Valverde his fourth win in five games in charge.

"We created opportunities, and knew the goal would arrive at some point," the 48-year-old revealed to reporters. "Even when it was 11 against 11, we dominated the match.

"It was entirely the decision of the referee to show the Granada player the red card. They tried to sit back after the goal, but we came out to secure the result, and so managed to start the year in winning fashion."

The result moves Los Che up to seventh in the league, closing the gap on fourth-placed Malaga to four points.